Not Dead Yet
by Honeypop
Summary: An alternative ending to the SVM series, set after Deadlocked. After Eric divorces her and is set to leave Shreveport, Sookie discovers a secret which will force her to make a difficult and potentially deadly choice. Will she risk everything and fight for what she truly cares about most? Canon, E/S.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello everyone! So, Dead Ever After, eh? We waited a long time for it, and I for one won't be reading it. I have heard what happens and I can't put myself through it. Yes, it sounds dramatic, but I, like many other SVM fans, am too disappointed to finish the series. Charlaine Harris has the right to do what she wants with her characters, and I have the right to not read it. My heart is broken : (**

**So in order to make myself, and maybe some other book fans who feel the same, feel a bit better, I've decided to write this. This story takes place after Deadlocked, and takes a different course from DEA.**

**I hope you enjoy it.**

**Thanks to RubySun03 for her support, ideas and expert knowledge, and agreeing once again to take time out to beta for me. I love you Stacers! **

**Disclaimer: All the SVM characters belong to Charlaine Harris.**

* * *

How come people always offer you their good advice and positivity after everything's gone wrong, instead of when you most need it?

"Sometimes these things just come to an end," Tara said. "You know, you grow apart, and move on. You'll be better off without him, anyway. Vampires, well, they're just living in another world from us, right? I mean, when I say living... you know what I mean. Things'll get better soon, you'll see."

Tara had had her own brush with the vampire world, some time ago, and it was not an experience that she ever intended to repeat. She was still talking, but I had kind of stopped listening some time earlier. I'd already heard it all from other people, in particular Kennedy at work, and even Bill. It was all the usual break-up advice, sympathetic smiles and hugs, meant to make you feel better, think positive things, and know that you're not alone. I knew that their hearts were in the right place. But it all served only to make me more miserable.

"Sookie?"

"Huh?"

"I gotta go. The twins..."

I smiled down at the phone, and tried to sound perky.

"Sure."

"You need me, you just call."

"I will."

My perkiness level dropped down to zero as soon as I put the phone down. I looked over at the 'empty' cluviel d'or, sitting on the counter, and picked it up. I ran my fingers over it's smooth surface, but now that the magic had been used, the warmth and energy it had previously exuded was gone. Somehow, it didn't seem that special any more. It seemed crazy to me that such a small trinket once held magic strong enough to bring my friend back from the brink of death. I'd held that incredible power in my hands.

In a lot of ways, I was happy to be rid of it.

I should have been happy. I'd saved Sam. He was alive because of me. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't that I regretted using the cluviel d'or to save his life, it was certainly not wasted, and if I had to, I'd do it right over again.

The reason I felt so miserable was because ever since that night, I hadn't heard a word from my vampire boyfriend (also husband), Eric. He'd flown off in what seemed like some sort of huff, and with nearly three weeks gone by, there'd been no contact from him at all. When I called Fangtasia the night after Sam got hurt, I'd been told that Eric had been 'busy', and he hadn't returned my call. I figured he was angry that I'd used the magic I'd been gifted, to save the life of my friend, instead of using it for his benefit.

The more time passed without word, the angrier I got with him. I heard through the grapevine (supes, like humans, are real gossipy), that my so-called husband was busy hosting the queen of Oklahoma, Freyda, and preparing for his upcoming nuptials.

I considered myself to be officially dumped.

I wondered if vamps were allowed to be bigamists, or if our short and not-entirely-sweet marriage ceremony could simply be forgotten about, and that their more important vampire marriage would somehow trump our hastily thrown together one.

The very next day, I found out, when I received an unexpected call.

"Sookie, you need to be here at the bar at nine," Pam said, without so much as a hello.

"Well, nice to hear from you, Pam," I said, surprised to hear her voice but also already in full defense mode. "It would have been nice to have a little notice. It's not like I don't have any other stuff to do but wait to be summoned to Fangtasia."

"It is important," Pam said firmly. "And you would have been given more notice, had there been more time."

There was an edge to her voice, a kind of impatience. Pam was never incredibly warm, especially on the telephone, but she was usually more upbeat than this. I began to get a sick, sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"What do I have to come all the way over for?"

Pam was quiet for a moment.

"Eric asks it of you."

"Well then, why can't he ask me himself?"

She took a second or two to answer again.

"He is busy. He asks me to call, so I call."

"Pam, tell me what this is about, please?"

She sighed loudly over the phone.

"You are in no danger," she said. "There are things which need to be done, before Eric leaves."

The sinking feeling in my stomach increased.

"I understand," I said quietly. "I'll be there."

As I stood there in the kitchen, I realized that all this time I had been waiting for Eric to call me, or turn up outside my house, asking me for my forgiveness, to tell me he wasn't leaving with Freyda, that he'd found a way out of it. I hadn't listened to the sympathetic advice of my friends because I thought that in the end, it would work out. Eric had known about the cluviel d'or, probably considered it to be the ace in his pocket, and when I had used it on something else, he'd been angry with me. I even understood that, to a certain degree. But I figured he'd get over it, in time. He'd told me, the night of my birthday, that she would not win. I'd believed him. I thought he would find a way. I thought I'd been truly special to him. I'd been wrong.

I drove to Shreveport on auto-pilot. I thought of nothing, in particular, only that this was probably going to be the last time I saw Eric. I tried not to think too much about what had passed between us, and the times we had shared together. The last thing I wanted was to be going in there crying.

Pam opened the back door for me when I knocked. She was in her usual work attire, her black filmy dress, with the trailing skirt.

"You're late," she said, and I looked at my watch. She was right, I was three minutes late.

"Sorry."

She turned and led me down the corridor to Eric's office, and I followed her without another word.

She opened the door, and stepped aside to let me in. Eric was sitting behind his desk. He was wearing a Fangtasia t-shirt, and his hair was tied back. He was leaning forward in his seat, resting his elbows on the desk, his fingers pressed together. He looked at me as I stepped inside. His eyes were cold, his face more stern than I'd maybe ever seen it.

There were three other people in the room; Freyda, and two vampires I didn't know. I guessed they might be hers, unless Eric had gotten some new people. Freyda sat in one of the other chairs, and the other vamps stood close by.

Pam shut the door, and suddenly the room felt incredibly small. I realized that I wanted to be anywhere else but there.

"Sookie, would you like to sit?" Eric said, and he gestured to a seat in front of him. I shook my head.

"I'll stand. Will this take long?"

He looked at me for a moment, and then at Freyda.

"No. It won't take long."

He sat back, opened the top drawer of his desk, and pulled out a shiny, gleaming blade. It was the ceremonial knife, the one that he'd somehow retrieved from the rubble of the ruins of the hotel in Rhodes, the one he'd had me present him, all that time ago, in front of Victor, to bind me to him in a vampire marriage I had been ignorant of.

Eric rose from his chair and slowly walked towards me with the knife, and I felt the eyes of every vampire in the room on us, all in anticipation of the moment. Freyda seemed especially attentive.

He stood in front of me, the knife in his hand, and for a fleeting moment I felt a rush of fear as I wondered just how this marriage was supposed to be severed. Was there only one way to sever it, that way being the death of me? Then I remembered Pam said I wouldn't be in danger. But had she said that just to get me here?

Eric looked down at me, his expression still cold, and I tried to remain as calm as I possibly could.

"Take it," he said, holding the knife out to me. "Take it, and draw my blood, and our marriage will be severed."

"Blood?"

"A cut to my hand, that will suffice."

I looked from his face to the blade, and then back again. A cut, that was all it would take. A cut that would soon heal, in seconds. Like it had never even been there at all.

"Take it," Eric ordered quietly, his hands moving closer to mine. I glanced behind me to see Pam was just behind my shoulder, and I saw her give the slightest of nods.

"This is it?" I said, my voice shakier than I'd hoped it would be. "This is all we have to do?"

Eric nodded.

"Yes."

"And what happens then?"

"You will belong to no vampire," he said, "unless you desire it. The king, Felipe De Castro, will not seek you out for his own purposes, nor will any vampire within his kingdom, on penalty of final death." He looked away from my eyes. "I will be leaving shortly. Pam will take over as sheriff."

_And you can get on with your life_, he might have said. _Find someone warm, and human, and alive, to grow old with. Move on._

"She'll do very well, I'm sure," Freyda said, speaking for the first time since I'd arrived. I realized after a moment that she was talking about Pam. The queen smiled at me, and for a second I had this crazy idea that I might just take that knife and stab her through the heart with it. But it wasn't silver. She probably wouldn't die. I probably would.

I took the knife from Eric, and quickly turned his hand over, palm up. I pressed it against his skin, looked him in the eye, and slashed. He grimaced, but didn't look away.

"I don't have to kiss it, do I?" I said, holding up the blade. A drop of blood ran down it, and trickled onto my hand. Eric squeezed his hand into a fist, and shook his head. "Good."

I put the knife down on his desk, and turned to leave. Pam opened the door, and I made my exit, hot-footing it out of the club as fast as my legs could carry me.


	2. Chapter 2

I was working the late shift the following evening, and it was just another regular night in Merlotte's, until Pam walked in. I saw her enter as I was delivering a basket of fries to one of my tables. She was wearing some navy blue slacks and a patterned cream blouse, with her favorite penny loafers. Her long blonde hair was down, and almost impossibly straight and shiny. She caught my eye and nodded, before taking a stool at the bar.

A few of the customers gave her a quick, curious glance, but none of them seemed to notice her 'otherness'. To them, she was only of interest because it was unusual to see a female out-of-towner enter a bar on her own. Some of them thought she must be looking for a man, and a frisky liaison; I read it right out of their heads. To anyone who didn't know her, Pam looked like any normal woman; beautiful, for sure, and a little pale, definitely, but perfectly respectable and nothing too out of the ordinary.

If only they knew how out of the ordinary she really was.

I made sure all my other tables were seen to before I took a seat beside her. Kennedy had already made sure she was served, and there was a glass of untouched red wine in front of her. I wasn't sure whether we'd run out of synthetic bottled blood again, or whether Pam had preferred to keep up a pretense of being human, for her own purposes.

I glanced over at Kennedy. She had a strange look in her eye. She quickly got busy with something else, at the other end of the bar.

"Hey Pam, did you say something to Kennedy? She looks sort of weirded out."

"Yes. Kennedy..." She pursed her lips in thought. "Do you think she was named after the president, or the space center?"

"Um, I don't-"

"To think I once drank this stuff." She picked up her glass of wine and sniffed it. "It smells revolting. Though it is slightly better than the faint scent of wet dog that always greets me when I walk in here. Where is Merlotte?"

"It's his night off," I answered, choosing not to respond to Pam's little insult about my shapeshifter boss. "What did you say to her?"

"I complimented her hair, asked for a bottle of blood – by the way, Sookie, you really do need to restock and keep up a regular supply. No synthetic blood substitute? Not even _Red Stuff_, or _Life Support_? You should be on top of this, especially since you now have more financial interest in this place. It will not do to be exclusive when it comes to your vampire friends. What am I supposed to think?"

I stared at her, unsure whether she was joking with me or not.

"I'll get right on that, Pam."

"Good. Anyway, I ordered this liquid filth instead, since she was waiting for me to order something, and I felt obliged."

"Okay. Did you just come here to have a drink, or...?"

She turned her head to survey the Merlotte's patrons. It was getting late, and many customers had already left for the night.

"I don't think so. I don't really see anything worth drinking." She looked behind the bar again. "Apart from your very pretty colleague. And your good self, of course."

"So, what are you here for?"

Pam looked me right in the eye, suddenly all back to business.

"Do you remember that time you saved Eric and I, when the bombs were planted, at the Pyramid of Gizeh hotel, in Rhodes?"

Oh, I remembered. Much had happened to me in my life, and that had been one of the most terrifying experiences I'd ever had.

"Sure I do," I answered. "Bad stuff always happens when I travel anywhere. And people wonder why I prefer to stay in little ol' Bon Temps."

Pam didn't raise a smile at my attempt at humor. She now seemed quite focused on telling me whatever it was she came to tell me.

"I remember, too. I had questioned your loyalty to Eric before that day, and I had also questioned his unusual interest in you, as well. Of course, you were pretty, you had shown some courage, and had done your part in keeping my maker safe before, from the witches, but as to your true loyalty and affection, I only accepted that when I knew you had come for him, in that hotel. We would most probably have both died that day, for good, but for your bravery."

"I had to do something," I said. "I wasn't able to save everyone."

"You did well. You could have died yourself, in the process. It was very close, as I recall."

I didn't need reminding of my sometimes apparently stupid way of getting myself into deadly situations. My instinctive reaction to act rather than think had often led me into danger.

I had no idea why we were going over this old ground again.

"What's your point, Pam?"

"My point is, you used your skills and talents to root out the bomb plot, and you saved lives, that day. You made a choice in a difficult and intense situation to remain in a building you knew was soon to be reduced to rubble, and attempted to save Eric."

I shrugged.

"Sure. I cared about him," I said quietly. "Plus, I owed him. He'd saved me from Andre."

"You did what only a small number of people would have done in the same situation. You risked yourself for another. After that, I began to realize why he believed in you. You are capable of extraordinary things, Sookie."

I looked at her blankly. I could tell she was trying to get some kind of point across, but I just wasn't picking up on it. I glanced over at my tables, knowing I'd been neglecting them.

"I've got to work."

Before I could stand up, Pam placed her cool hand on top of mine.

"I'm trying to remind you of who you are," she said, leaning forward, her palm pressing down on the back of my hand. "What you have achieved. I am thankful for what you did for Eric and I, and am proud to call you a friend."

I was touched. I don't think Pam had ever been so directly complimentary before.

"Me too."

"I suppose I expected more."

I stared at her.

"Huh?"

"This whole marriage debacle. You say you love Eric, you risk your life for him, and then when you have the means to solve the problem, you chose not to use it. I find that difficult to understand."

I took in her words, running over them in my head. Pam had heard about the cluviel d'or, then. I recalled the shock I'd felt when I realized Eric knew about it, and then I remembered how Niall had admitted he'd been the one to tell him. _'You had to know what would happen if he __believed__ you had power'_.

"Eric could have saved himself, if he'd wanted. I used the power I had to save the life of my friend."

She snatched her hand away.

"But you were not to know that the shifter was going to die. You could have used it sooner. Eric had no other way out of it, though you seem to think he did. You do not know what he has risked. You do not know what this has done to him."

Her tone got me all riled up.

"You're right, I don't know, because he _doesn't speak to me __any more_."

Pam made a noise of pure frustration and annoyance.

"You are both as stubborn as the other."

"He was the one who summoned me, and divorced me, remember? He's the one who's leaving me to marry someone else. He's the one who has not even had the decency to call me and explain anything."

Pam leaned forward again, and the look on her face was enough to make me catch my breath and give me chills.

"You have no idea how much he cares for you," she said through gritted teeth. "What he has sacrificed to keep you safe."

"No, I don't. So tell me."

She took a moment, gathering herself, and sat back again.

"I will wait for you. Finish your work, and then I will tell you what you need to know. You deserve that, and he deserves more credit than you are obviously willing to give him, too. I owe both of you as much as that."

She turned on the seat to face the bar again, and twirled the stem of the wine glass between her thumb and forefinger, staring at it glumly. I went back to my work, taking a final couple of orders, and started clearing up.

As I worked, I thought about what Pam had said, and I wondered what more she would have to say. I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to hear it. I didn't know whether it would make me feel better, or worse about everything. I had a feeling it was gong to be the latter.

By the time everyone else had left, Pam was sitting in one of the booths, and I slid in to sit opposite her. I clasped my hands together, took a deep breath, and exhaled.

"Okay. I'm all ears."

She wasted no time at all.

"Firstly, I accept that you may be ignorant of vampire laws and many of our ways. Understand that contracts such as the one made between Appius Livius Ocella and the queen are commonplace, and our kind accept such agreements as part of our traditions. These things are taken very seriously. An agreement can be made through a simple act or a few uttered words, such as when you were bonded with the knife, and it gave you a certain amount of protection, or when it is declared that a human belongs to a vampire, and no other can drink from them. There are no written contracts, but other vampires will respect the agreement or oath which has been made, and what it represents." She shook her head. "And humans think that we are the untrustworthy beings."

"Uh-huh. I get all that."

"So imagine how binding vampire law is, how difficult it would be to get out of a written contract. Just because Eric did not know about it makes no difference. A maker will always have such rights over a child, to decide their fate. I trust that Eric would not be so cruel to me, but if he were to marry me off, I would have to submit to his wishes. And just because his maker met his final death did not mean that the agreement was any less binding. Eric did all he could to find a way to release himself from the marriage contract. He consulted lawyers, searched through the laws himself, trying to find a loophole. He tried to find something he could use against Freyda, tried bartering with her, offering counter-agreements, money, his businesses, anything, but it was no use."

"He was willing to give her his business?"

"Of course. But a tourist bar in Shreveport and a few other investments here and there are of little consequence to a queen. She knew exactly what she wanted and she was not willing to back down. By appearing so reluctant to give in, so determined to find a solution, Eric did himself no favors at all. You can imagine how Freyda must have felt. I suppose she thinks herself as quite the catch. Most would have accepted their fate right away, but you and I both know Eric is made of stronger stuff than that."

Oh yeah. Eric was definitely the type who wanted to control his own destiny. He was the one who told people what to do, giving out orders, not taking them. _You just never could tell Eric anything._

"Yup," I said.

"That wasn't his main reason for resistance, of course. Were it not for you, I think he would have given up trying, long ago, and it would have cost him far, far less."

"Cost him?" I said. "I thought you said she didn't want his businesses."

"The cost has been much more than that, Sookie. When he realized there was no way out of the marriage, his next priority was to keep you safe. Freyda was adamant that he would be forbidden from having any form of contact with you. She has her pride, I suppose, and should any bond still remain between the two of you, well, in time that could turn out to be dangerous for her. Perhaps he would have trusted me to take you as mine, but that was also forbidden. If he was not going to be there to protect you, and you were no longer married, and you could not belong to me, that left you open to being taken against your will, especially by our king, Felipe De Castro."

My mouth hung open. Of course, I'd known there would be dangers, if I was no longer 'Eric's'. I wasn't sure how I'd expected I'd deal with that.

"He made a bargain," I said, suddenly understanding.

"Of course he made a bargain. You would be protected, overseen by me of course, while living in my area, and be left alone to live your own life, but there would be a price. The price was a century of marriage and loyalty, and absolutely no contact between the two of you. It meant he would never see you again, the woman he loves, and he would be bound to a queen he never desired or cared for, having to bow to her will as her consort. A whole century of servitude. He cannot divorce her, or he will die. He cannot kill her, or he will die, along with you. Even after the century is up, they will still be married, unless she agrees to release him from it herself, and he will only be granted a few small freedoms. You, being human for the most part, will no longer be of any consequence at that point, anyway. There are very strict conditions, all set out in the contract he will be expected to sign before the marriage ceremony takes place."

This was a lot of information to take in.

"Why didn't Eric tell me all this himself?" I might not have been able to do much about it, but at least I would have known, and we could have talked about it.

"Do you think it would have made you feel any better?" Pam said, her tone turning sharper. "If you were to know what he was going to have to do, you might have done something brave and yet ultimately detrimental to everyone. You could have risked yourself for him, as you have done before, as you have done for others before. You could have ended up dead in the process, and your survival was the most important thing to him. Once your fairy magic had been used, there was no other hope. If Eric had shared all this with you, it would have only brought you both more pain. He has forced himself to maintain some distance from you, for both your benefit and his. And while you sit here thinking he is doing nothing, that it is easy and beneficial for him to divorce you and marry a powerful and beautiful queen, he is all the time thinking only of you."

She spat those last few words out, and stopped talking abruptly, covering her mouth with her fist, as if trying to stop any further words slipping from her lips. I could tell she felt she'd already said too much. It was as if she couldn't help herself, that she felt a great injustice had been done to her maker, and if I were to know about it, she would somehow feel better herself.

I stared at her, and swallowed back a tear I felt forming.

"I felt sure he could... that he really wanted..." _Oh, Eric._ I felt like I had been blinded by my own self-pity, and only now was I beginning to see everything more clearly.

"Last night, when you came to Fangtasia, it was as much of a show for Freyda, as anything. He had to demonstrate that he was willing to comply, and that he is not only capable of loyalty, but that he accepts his fate and is able to give you up without any further resistance."

That had explained his coldness, and the matter-of-fact way the whole divorce ceremony had been handled.

I turned it all over in my mind. Eric had sacrificed a great deal to ensure I was protected. It was no wonder he had been so angry when I'd had to use the cluviel d'or to save Sam's life. And now he would be gone, and I would never be able to see him again, to speak to him, and thank him.

Pam slid out of the booth and stood.

"I must go now, I have already been here too long. I know this may have been painful to hear, but as I said, I still believe that you deserve to know the truth. You will not see Eric again, and therefore he will never need to know that we discussed this. I was, of course, forbidden from telling you about it. A child should always defy her maker, now and again, since complete subservience in vampires is never an attractive trait."

"You can't even thank him for me," I said. "He'll never know."

Pam shook her head.

"He did not do it for your thanks."

She walked out without another word, and as the door closed behind her, I crossed my arms on the table, lowered my head, and sobbed.


	3. Chapter 3

For the next two or three nights, I barely slept a wink.

Of course, Eric was on my mind all the time. I thought about the few recent conversations we'd had, and I brooded over my talk with Pam. I went over and over the things she'd told me. Eric had sacrificed a large portion of his life and his freedom in exchange for my protection. I would never be able to repay him, and I realized that the weight of this would be forever on my mind. How would I ever be able to continue life as normal, carrying that knowledge?

I wracked my brain trying to think of things I could do. I logged onto my computer and searched 'how to get out of vampire marriage contracts', but came up with nothing. I dreamed up ways of dispatching the queen, some as simple as finding her and staking her, others more complex and tricky, but each plot as hopeless as the next. I thought of favors I could call in, friends I could contact to ask for help, but I knew that it would be wrong to involve any of them.

I even considered speaking with Freyda myself again, to try to reason with her, or cut some kind of new deal. Free telepath services? Regular blood donations? I didn't have much to offer, but I would have given what I had. Ultimately, I knew that it would never be enough. The queen knew what she wanted, and was obviously determined to get her way. If I were to try to bargain with her myself, I might only end up making things worse for Eric, and that was truly the last thing I wanted.

Every single idea I had turned into a dead end.

What I wanted, more than anything else, was to speak to Eric. I dialed his number a couple of times, but hung up before anyone could answer. I typed out messages that went undelivered. I hardly knew where to start. Nothing I could possibly say would make the situation any easier for either of us, yet there was so much that I needed to tell him. Not being able to articulate how I felt was only part of the reason I found myself unable to reach out to him; I also knew that I might be taking a huge risk for the both of us, and that I'd probably get Pam in deep trouble, too.

So I tried to go about my life as normally as I could manage, though I wasn't at all myself. I felt like I was floating through my days, never quite present, but somehow able to function. For most of my waking moments I had a niggling feeling in the back of my mind. _"__Y__ou should be doing something," _a voice kept insisting. _"You could have done more. __Stop being so hopeless__." _It was like an itch that went unscratched. I thought I might go mad from it.

I felt unable to share my burden and talk about the situation with others, in hopes of easing my mind. I considered getting a new cat, since I could at least offload my problems to an animal without worrying about the risk, but then I thought about poor Tina, and my old friend Bubba, and decided against it.

One night I decided to walk the short distance across the cemetery, to Bill's house. My intention was just to say a neighborly hello, but of course, I would also be interested to hear any vampire news he might be able to give me. He'd been strangely quiet, keeping to himself, though I wondered whether he still kept a watch over my house, now and again. I hoped that he was allowing me some space to come to terms with Eric leaving, rather than the fact he pitied me.

The woods were dark as always, but the moon was bright, and there was just enough light to guide me. Or at least I thought there was, until I tripped over a stump and banged headfirst into a low-hanging branch. Before I could fall flat on my face, a pair of arms were around me, and I was lifted back up.

"What the-" I went straight into survival mode, ready to kick and punch whoever had me in their grip.

"Shh. It's me."

"Eric?"

He must've been there in a shot, because I hadn't even noticed the void behind me. My lack of sleep was really beginning to show.

"Why are you out in the woods?" he asked me.

"What the hell?" He released me from his grip, standing me back up, and I pressed my hand to my forehead where the branch had slapped me. I took a quick look at my fingers, checking for blood, but there was none. "Why are _you _in my woods?" I snapped back.

"They're very scenic, and... woodsy. I was taking a stroll."

"Bullshit."

My heart was beating fast, first from the trip, then from the unknown arms, and then, from seeing my former husband standing right in front of me. I looked up at him, and my shock and fear melted away, my breathing returning to a more reasonable pace. I stood there, frozen to the spot. I'd never imagined I would see him again. I had almost accepted it.

"Are you really here?" I whispered. I reached up to touch his face, making sure. His skin was so pale in the moonlight. He took my wrist in his hand, closed his eyes and leaned his cheek in to my palm. "You're here. I thought you'd gone already."

"Tomorrow," he said.

"Oh."

I let my hand slowly fall.

"I'm not supposed to be here," he said. "I can't be long. I had to tell you something, in person, before I... Since I'll never be able to... I just couldn't leave things this way."

Eric seemed at a loss for words. I took his hand in mine.

"I'm glad you came," I said.

"You know I tried," he said, squeezing at my fingers. "Don't you. You _know _me."

"I know. And you know why I had to-"

Suddenly he took a step forward, and he pressed his lips to mine, stopping my words with a kiss. Being in his arms again was so familiar, and made me feel so safe. After a moment I allowed myself to melt into him, pretending that everything was okay. I felt the weight of the world lift away.

"Yes," he said, when he finally pulled back. "I know."

There was so much warmth in his eyes, so different from the eyes I'd looked into a week or so previous, when I'd visited Fangtasia. But there was still no hope in them. I took his hand again and turned over his palm, tracing my finger over the place where I'd sliced him with the knife. There was no mark, of course.

"I wanted to tell you," he said. "You should have known what was going to happen. I don't expect you to forgive me for it. I must have seemed like a stranger, that I had no care at all for how you would feel. But you know how it broke me to have you cut me and sever our marriage, and have to behave like it meant nothing to me. It means _everything_." His hand gripped the back of my head, and he leaned down to look me dead in the eyes. "You _know me_."

I nodded.

"Yes, I do." I knew more than he understood. "And you know I forgive you. None of this was your choice. You did everything you could."

Eric seemed to relax slightly at my words, as if the possibility that I might think he didn't care had been plaguing him every waking minute. He stroked my face, his fingers gently tracing my skin, his thumb brushing over my lips. He looked at me as though he was trying to etch every line, every single part of me, into his memory.

"Isn't it tragic that the two of us, creatures both so desperate to control our own destinies, so stubborn and reluctant to bow to anyone's orders, such fierce fighters, should find ourselves so completely powerless."

It hurt me deeply to hear him say that, and I wrapped my arms around him, squeezing him as close to me as I could.

"I hate her," I said petulantly. "Maybe even more than I hate Appius."

"Try to use your energy elsewhere," Eric said, stroking my head. "I know how consuming anger can be. You have much to give to the world. It would be a shame if you wasted the precious time you have with hate and regret."

He was right of course, it would consume me, and make me miserable. That didn't mean that I wasn't going to spend plenty of time hating on Freyda. It was so frustrating, being unable to tell him that I knew about the sacrifices he'd made for me, and being unable to thank him for it. I couldn't betray Pam's confidence, and I couldn't add to Eric's misery, since it would only make him feel worse. So instead, I let my lips do the talking. I reached up, wrapped my arms around his neck, and I kissed him. Though we no longer shared our blood bond, I tried to pour all the love I had for him into my kiss, and hoped that he'd somehow still be able to feel it.

As our lips parted, our eyes met once again. There were so many things that would have to remain unsaid, but in that moment, I knew that we both understood what was important.

"Stay," I whispered. "Stay with me."

He bent to kiss me again, as if capturing the words as they exited my mouth, then pressed his forehead to mine, cupping my face in his hands. I could tell that he was struggling to hold back, that there was much he still wanted to say, but he knew that ultimately it would only make it more difficult for the both of us when he had to leave. We were both only delaying the inevitable.

"I love you, Sookie," he breathed against my lips. "Remember that I will always love you."

He let me go, and stepped back. I felt a rush of panic, and reached for him again.

"Eric-"

"Live," he said, taking another step backwards, and then another. "Do not waste a single moment. You are strong, and you are brilliant. Never lose your audacious spirit, Sookie, but can you promise me that you will at least _try_ to stay out of trouble?"

I held back my tears, and nodded. A faint smile appeared at his lips. I ran to him, but when I reached out with my hands there was nothing but cool air in the space where Eric had stood. With barely a sound and in the blink of an eye, he was up into the night sky.

"Wait!"

But it was too late. Eric was gone, forever.

"I love you, too," I said, to the stars.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, in order to try and hang on to the last bit of sanity I had, I set about cleaning my house from top to bottom. I washed the windows, scrubbed the countertops, and beat the rugs, anything to take my mind off it all. Of course, it didn't really work, but at least I knew I'd have a clean house to show for it at the end of the day.

I'd just emptied my kitchen cupboards ready to clean the insides, when there was a knock at my door. Visitors were the last thing I wanted. I ran the back of my hand across my forehead, and went to see who it was.

I was surprised, but not entirely upset, to see Mr. Cataliades on my front porch. I'd become sort of fond of him, in a strange way, even if he had gifted me with my unwanted talent.

"Mr. Cataliades, what a lovely surprise."

"Sookie, my dear, I'm sorry to come unannounced. I was jogging, and thought, why, it has been too long since I have seen the young Miss Stackhouse. I hope this isn't a bad time?"

Now that he had mentioned it, I saw that he was wearing a sporty leisure suit, a bright green and yellow one, which seemed a size or two too small for his round frame. He wore a sweat band around his head, and some snazzy-looking sneakers, with multi-colored laces. I realized I was staring.

"No, not a bad time. I was just cleaning the kitchen. Please, come on in." I stepped aside to let him through, and he smiled as he entered. "You'll have to excuse the mess, shall we sit in the living room?"

Mr. Cataliades smiled and went through to take a seat on the couch, and I went to fetch him some lemonade.

"You have been busy," he said, as I handed him the glass. "Very tidy."

"Just like Gran always kept it."

"Indeed."

"So, you were jogging?" I asked, still curious.

"Oh yes," he answered, tapping his belly. "After all that running I did from the hellhounds, I found I had a rather large appetite, and may have overdone it. I must confess I have a weakness for lobster thermidor, and when I finally became free of the hounds I treated myself to a few of the delicious seafood dishes. In fact, I lost count of the number I went through. A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips, as they say. Diantha suggested a little light exercise, and since I was already quite the runner, I thought some jogging may be in order."

"The hellhounds, of course. Are they gone?"

"They are, back from whence they came."

"And Diantha, is she okay?"

"Very well, thank you." He looked around, and seemed to focus, thinking. "You have used the magic, yes?"

I nodded. Maybe he could tell the cluviel dor had been used, the power no longer drawing unwanted fairy attention to my house. I had to admit, even I noticed a different vibe to the house, now that it was gone.

"Yes."

"Well, I hope that it was helpful."

"It was."

"Good. And how are you? I hear that things are quiet. The portal is closed, the packs are settling, and vampire alliances are being made and contracts finalized. Do you think peace may be on the horizon for our supernatural friends?"

I looked down at the glass in my hands.

"Maybe. Who knows?" I considered his words again, narrowed my eyes and looked at him. "What contracts?"

"Contracts here, contracts there. They are always signing them, for one thing or another. I have been personally employed by one monarch, just recently, to oversee the preparation of a number of important documents, some of them very complex and binding." My jaw dropped, and Mr. Cataliades looked me right in the eye. "I'm sure it would all be incredibly dull for you, unless you had some sort of interest in it?"

I nodded again, unable to speak.

"You were recently divorced?" he said, looking at me closely, as if gauging my reaction.

"Yes," I answered quietly.

"But you did not want it, and nor did he, is this correct?"

In my mind, it was like clouds parting, and I could suddenly see that which had been hidden to me. Mr. Cataliades, demon lawyer to vampire kings and queens and other supernaturals, my sponsor, the one who had given me my gift. Why had I not considered contacting him for his advice before?

"_Freyda_," I said, in my head. "_You have been working for Freyda_."

He heard me, of course, being telepathic himself. He smiled, and nodded.

"_I have_," he responded, before speaking again. "I have been interested to note that Mr. Northman has been incredibly reluctant to sign these contracts, and subsequently the queen has requested I draw up new ones, each one longer and ever more binding than the last. I think we have gotten there, though, finally."

"Is there anything I can do?" I said, the words tumbling out of my mouth. "Can it be stopped?"

"No," he said, and my heart dropped. "But there is a reason I bring it up. Matters of far more consequence, in my own opinion." He downed the last of his lemonade, and set the empty glass aside. "It has become apparent that the king, Felipe de Castro, was rather unhappy with queen Freyda on a number of fronts. I won't insult your intelligence by going over these things, Sookie, I am sure you can work this out for yourself. Needless to say, he believed himself to be short-changed. Now, eager to keep him sweet, so to speak, the queen suggested an arrangement was made, between the two of them. As she has just very recently been consulting me on these matters, I have been privy to some of these agreements, but not all of the specifics. Although your name was not actually mentioned, it was clear to me that you were the human they were squabbling about. It is clear that you are of some great significance and financial consequence to this area. We telepaths are rare, as you know, and you have already proven yourself to be more than just a mind-reader."

I took a sharp intake of breath.

"But I thought this was all covered, in the contract between Eric and Freyda. I was going to be left alone."

"Indeed. You would be left alone by Freyda, and her people, and Felipe. The queen, of course, intends to leave you quite alone, but the king, well, he is a different matter. He wants complete authority over all of those who live within his kingdom; the fact that another monarch could somehow have control over one of his people, when he is already losing Eric, and he has no say in it, is too much for one such as him. The contract will stand, yes, but if you were to go to him, for instance, this would be perfectly acceptable, in terms of the agreement."

"But I would never do that," I said. "I want nothing to do with him."

"Of course, but what if he was encouraging you in some way. Pressuring you."

"Blackmailing me?"

"Something like that, yes."

I closed my eyes and groaned.

"Eric did everything he could, and he still couldn't save me from Felipe."

"He tried, and perhaps if the queen had an ounce of compassion in her body she would have forbidden it, and ensured that the original contract was more binding. But it would seem she cares very little for telepaths, particularly those of the blonde, pretty sort. Since she has made it quite clear that there is to be no contact between yourself and Eric, and that she and Felipe will keep any arrangements between themselves, Eric will never find out that you are working for the king. If he were to find out, through some other route, it will seem as though you are employed willingly. The queen has agreed not to get involved, and will forbid Eric from doing so, should that be necessary. His child, the one taking over his area-"

"Pam."

"Pam, yes. She will of course have to bow to her king's orders, or suffer severe consequences."

Well, my day had just gotten a whole lot worse. Just when I thought it wasn't possible, I was feeling even more miserable.

"He'll make me work for him."

"I believe so. I would imagine that this is not something you would want."

"No way."

"I thought not. Well, this has put me in quite the predicament." He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he perched on the edge of the seat. "I had not realized before, how much you care for this vampire, Eric, and I confess I had questioned his motives and his love for you. Not that anyone loving you should be such a surprise, but in my experience, vampires such as he usually take actions only for their own gain, and they are rarely sentimental or caring for others but themselves. I understood why he should be reluctant to sign a marriage contract that he was not in favor of, but to go to such lengths to secure your safety... then I truly understood how deeply he must care for you. Tell me truthfully, Sookie, do you really love him?"

"Yes," I choked. "More than anything."

His face changed, like a shadow had passed over him. He looked at me with a sad pity, and it scared me.

"That is a shame," he said.

"Why? What do you mean?"

He was quiet for a moment, and a cold, icy shiver crept up my spine.

"Because I believe Mr. Northman is in great danger."

* * *

**_A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I'm going to try to post more regularly from now on. Please forgive me! I baked a large cake for you, to try to make up for it, but, well, it didn't rise, and then when I tried to ice it with a large quantity of chocolate ganache to cover up the dip in the sponge, it fell on the floor, and then when I tried to retrieve it I slapped myself in the face with my spatula, and became momentarily dazed. Then, would you believe it, my kitchen exploded. Thankfully I wasn't injured, and the cake was retrievable, but then I thought 'how am I going to distribute this damn cake, anyway?' and I ate it all. But the thought was there, so..._**

**_Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, and/or put this story on alert. It means a lot to know many of you are as eager as I am to have an alternate ending and that you're enjoying what I'm doing with it so far. Extra shout out to the beta-licious RubySun03, for all the help and support!_**


	5. Chapter 5

"What?!"

I shot up out of the chair, and stood over Mr. Cataliades.

"Please my dear, calm yourself."

"Calm myself? What do you mean he's in danger?"

"Sit down, and I will tell you what I know."

I took a deep breath and sat beside him.

"Felipe de Castro is possibly the most ambitious and ruthless vampire monarch I have ever encountered, and I have encountered many, Sookie. He may appear on the surface to be reasonable, jovial even, at times, but this is mere artifice. He is power hungry, and will lie and cheat to get everything he wants. I am sure you recall how quickly he stepped in to take Louisiana, after Sophie-Ann's demise. He seized the opportunity, while others dithered and squabbled among themselves. It was so easy, in fact, that now he has his sights set on other states."

"Like where? Wait, are you saying he wants to take Oklahoma?"

Mr. Cataliades nodded.

"Freyda is a strong leader, ambitious, intelligent and popular, too. She could go far, especially with Eric by her side. One day, she may even pose a serious threat to the king. Eric has never been a supporter of Felipe, as I understand it, and there was some sort of mysterious disappearance of his deputy?"

I raised an eyebrow at him, as he looked at me with a knowing eye. I wasn't sure just how much he knew about my involvement in what had happened to Victor.

"I guess that would be Victor Madden."

"Ah yes, Victor. Well, for some reason, Felipe believes that Eric had something to do with his demise, though he has never publicly accused him of any wrong-doing or brought him to trial. Eric has, on occasion, defied the orders of his king outright, I am led to believe. He is the last of Sophie-Ann's sheriffs, is he not, and I understand that his people are fiercely loyal to him, and have no real love for the king at all."

"Eric and Felipe might not be best buddies," I agreed, "but he's never had any interest in taking over as king himself, and as far as I'm aware, he's never really challenged him. Eric just wants control of his own area, and to be left alone to do what he wants."

"Perhaps so," Mr. Cataliades agreed. "However, the animosity remains and the threat is there, in Felipe's mind, and now that he is to marry an ambitious queen, that threat is much more significant. But if Felipe were to take the initiative now, if say, something unfortunate were to happen to Freyda before she returned to Oklahoma, then Felipe could have it all, without much effort on his part."

"But what about her people?" I asked. "Surely they'd have something to say about it."

"If they could prove it, yes, I'm sure they would, but it is doubtful that any of them would dare challenge a king. Freyda has no strong right arm, no deputy, no obvious successor ready to step in to rule. She has never been more vulnerable than she is right now."

I took a moment to let that information sink in.

"So, let me get this straight. Felipe gets rid of Freyda, and Eric, maybe he makes it look like an accident so that he doesn't get accused of anything, and then he steps right into her shoes, taking over Oklahoma real easy, just like he did with Louisiana."

"What is the saying, like taking candy from a baby? Or is it supposed to be milk?"

"How do you know he's going to do this? Is it definite?"

"It began as a whispered rumor, little more than gossip, really, but to be cautious the queen placed spies in Felipe's camp, to determine whether or not he was intending to double-cross her. She had her best people on the job, and they reported nothing. Freyda was satisfied he would keep his word. It was only after they recently signed their contracts, when we were leaving the king's casino, that on the off chance I gleaned some information from the thoughts of one of his human lawyers. Unfortunately, I was unable to get much of any use before he was spotted talking with me, and whisked away, but from what I gathered, a plot is likely to go ahead, and soon."

"What is he plotting?"

"I was unable to get the specifics, but it is clear to me that his intention is to stage a takeover. He wants Oklahoma, and he will need to rid himself of the queen. What better time to do it?"

"What about Freyda? You told her, right?"

"Of course, and to be cautious she increased her security, but for whatever reason she seemed to take my warning with a pinch of salt. I think she trusts in her own spies, and truly believes their agreement will stand, that he will honor it and allow her to go back to Oklahoma without any trouble. She has spent a great deal of effort placating him, and is perhaps showing her arrogance in underestimating him. On the other hand, maybe she has been seduced by his charm, and she trusts him, giving him more credit than he is due."

So much for Freyda being this big smart ass everyone kept going on about. Eric would surely have been keeping a close eye on his king, too. There was no way Eric was ever going to be seduced by Felipe's charms, such as they were.

"But Eric would know better," I said, confused.

"It is possible that he had hoped Felipe would take the opportunity sooner, and rid them both of the queen, but then Eric would still have been at risk himself, as well as you, of course."

"So what happens now? They leave tonight, right?"

In my mind, I was already thinking ahead, looking out the door towards the kitchen, ready to pick up the phone to call Eric. It was light, and he wouldn't rise for a good few hours, but I could at least leave him a message. If I knew where he'd be, I could even see him to warn him in person.

"Yes, the whole entourage flies back to Oklahoma early this evening, and the queen is eager to return to her own turf. If Felipe were really intending to kill her and seize his opportunity, he may have left it too late and missed his chance." He reached over to lightly place his hand on my knee, and leaned down to give me a smile. "Perhaps everything will be well."

For the first time, I was actually hoping that Eric made it to Oklahoma.

"Is there anything I can do, at all?" I asked him.

"If you can speak to Mr. Northman, then by all means do so, and advise him to exercise caution. I think it would be best if you do not mention our conversation, at least for the moment. The queen is not aware of our connection, and I think it best to keep it that way. Other than that, no, I don't think there is anything any of us can do, but wait." He gave me another quick tap on the knee, and stood. He grunted and stretched his back. "Mm, I should have warmed down. That was foolish. I should be going now, Sookie."

I stood too, ready to see him out.

"Thanks for coming over and telling me this. I really appreciate it."

"Not at all. I am only sorry that I could not bring you better news."

We walked to the door, and he turned to me again on the porch.

"Remember to call me, if you need any further advice, especially if the king should come calling for you."

I smiled.

"I will. Thanks."

He trotted off down the steps, and jogged away. I closed the door behind me and stood there for a moment, considering my next course of action. If I left a phone message for Eric, would Freyda read it, and would that matter, so long as I didn't mention Mr. Cataliades? Would either of them take my warning seriously? Eric surely would. If they were leaving tonight, would that mean the king had missed his chance already, or would it be the perfect moment for Felipe to strike? What if Felipe were to somehow intercept my message? What might be the consequences of that?

Before I could talk myself out of it, I strode into the kitchen and picked up the phone. I called Fangtasia, but the phone rang on, nobody picked up, and there was no option to leave a message. I grabbed my cell and sent Eric a text.

_'I need to speak to you. It's really important. You're in serious danger. Call me as soon as you can.'_

I left him a voice mail, too, saying the same thing. Maybe if he heard how worried I was, he might take my warning more seriously.

Then I called Sam, and told him I had an emergency, and wouldn't be able to make it into work. He knew me well enough to know that it would only be in the most dire of circumstances that I'd miss a shift, and he also knew not to ask too many questions. I knew that I was lucky to have a boss, or business partner, as it was now, as understanding as Sam Merlotte.

And then I waited. Sundown seemed to take forever to come, and the wait was a truly agonizing one. All the while I thought about what Mr. Cataliades had told me, going over and over it in my head, talking to myself out loud sometimes, too. I realized that since I'd accepted that Eric's marriage was going to become a reality, all the while I had been focusing my attention and resentment on the queen, when I should have been considering the bigger picture. Felipe was the true threat; he had gone back on his word before when he had promised me protection, and he had turned a blind eye when Victor had goaded Eric so openly and unnecessarily. Why should he be trusted to honor an agreement now, when everything Freyda had was apparently so easily taken?

Sundown came and went, and I heard nothing. I paced the floor with both phones in my hands, staring at them every now and again, willing them to ring. After about half an hour of waiting, I used the house phone to call Fangtasia again, but the same thing happened; it rang endlessly.

I began to panic. I called Pam and left a garbled voice mail for her. Then I got in my car and drove to Shreveport. I put my cell on the seat beside me, and as I drove I begged it to ring. Stubbornly, it was determined to stay quiet. It was so frustrating, having to maintain a reasonable driving pace, but I about pushed my old car to its absolute limit. It was times like these that I wished I could fly, like Eric.

As I parked around the back of Fangtasia, my feeling of dread had increased. Something was wrong, I just knew it.

I got out, slamming the car door shut, and jogged to the back door, before knocking on it a few times, hard and fast. After a moment, one of the human staff opened it, a woman I'd seen a few times before, short and slim with long, jet black hair.

"Hi, is Eric here, or Pam?"

"No. Eric hasn't been here in a couple of days, he's gone now." She looked truly sad, when she said that. "Pam and all the other vamps had to go somewhere tonight. Rest of us are taking care of the club. It's been so busy tonight, and all the customers are complaining about there being no real vampires to look at, so-"

"All of 'em?" I interrupted. "Where'd they go?"

"Uh-huh. Indira, Palomino, Thalia... Pam said they'd all been told they had to go to some meeting or other, vamp business. She didn't say what it was about, just that we all had to be working tonight."

I nodded and thanked her, and she closed the door again. As I walked back to my car, I thought about driving to Pam's, but doubted she'd be there. I might try Eric's house, but again, it was unlikely I'd manage to catch him. Just when I was about to drive there anyway, my cell phone rang. It was Pam.

"Sookie, what the hell was that message you left me? I could barely understand a word."

"Pam, it's-"

"Something about you wanting to sneak me some cheese? I mean really, what's this about?"

"Pam, I said I needed to _speak_ to you _urgently_."

"Well it sounded like you said you wanted to sneak me some cheese. You know I don't even eat cheese! Why would you-"

"PAM!"

"What?"

"This is important! Will you please listen?"

There was a brief silence.

"Yes. Go on."

"I think Eric is in danger. Is it safe to talk? Where are you?"

"I'm driving back to the club. What do you mean Eric is in danger?"

I reeled off what I knew, pacing up and down beside my car as I spoke, and Pam listened intently.

"This is bad, Sookie," she said finally.

"No shit."

"All the area five vamps were called to a meeting tonight by one of Felipe's cronies, to some little bar over in Bossier. When we got there, we waited for over half an hour only to be told the meeting had been canceled."

"Okay, well, that's suspicious."

"No shit," Pam said.

"Where's Eric?"

"Flying to Oklahoma City. He might already have landed, the flight should only have taken a couple of hours and they were leaving early evening."

"Can you call him and check?"

"I'll do it now."

"Okay. I'm at Fangtasia, I'll wait for you here."

Pam hung up, and as I leaned against the side of my car I prayed that Eric had made it there safely. My heart was beating so hard and my breathing was so erratic that I wondered if I was actually having a panic attack, something I'd never really experienced before. I couldn't keep my hands or my feet still. Thankfully, it wasn't long before Pam was speeding into the lot, brakes squealing and all, as she parked.

She got out, and zoomed over to me.

"He never made it," was all she said, and I felt my legs give way as I collapsed to the floor.


	6. Chapter 6

"Sookie."

"Ow."

"Sookie."

I felt another jab to my ribs, and opened my eyes, focusing them, to see Pam leaning over me.

"Wait, what-" I looked around, and once the fog cleared, I realized I was laid out on the sofa in Eric's office. _Eric._ I sat bolt upright, and swung my legs around so I was sitting up. The motion made me dizzy, and I rubbed my head. "What happened?"

"You fainted."

"Not to me, what about Eric?"

She straightened up and crossed her arms.

"I spoke to one of the supervisors at Anubis. Everyone got on the flight, and it took off bang on time. It never landed at it's intended destination, Oklahoma City airport. They reported that they tracked the radar north west, before losing it. There was no warning, no distress calls, nothing. The plane apparently just disappeared."

I looked up at her, my head spinning.

"Disappeared? A plane can't just disappear." But it could crash. "Can you feel him?"

"He lives."

I exhaled, pressing my hand to my chest.

"Oh thank God."

"If he had met the final death, I would know, but as to his condition or whereabouts, that is another matter."

"What are Anubis doing? Do they think the plane came down? Are they searching for wreckage?"

"They are working on it, that is all they would tell me."

"And I guess Eric hasn't called?" I asked, hopefully.

Pam shook her head.

"No."

"What do you think really happened?" I asked her.

"I think this is the king's doing," she spat. "He had all the area five vampires gathered in one place, so that should there have been any whiff of his plot, he could have taken us all out at once. It also ensured that none of us were at the airport, to see Eric off. Again, if somehow one of us had learned something, we would have been able to warn him more easily."

"But I tried to warn him. Do you think he got my message?"

"I don't know. All I know is that he got on that plane, and somehow Felipe was able to bring it down, or take it over, or something. Eric is not dead yet, in the final sense, but who knows how long that might last, or what Felipe's next move will be."

I imagined I knew what Felipe's next move might be; declare the queen dead, and swoop in to take Oklahoma for himself. It would then only be a matter of time before he came for me. He might already have been at my house, or have sent some of his people there to collect me. But if Eric was still alive, then perhaps Freyda was too. Would he risk a takeover while the queen might still be around? Or would he wait until he had evidence of her final death?

One thing I was certain about, Eric was surely in serious danger. I too was going to be in danger of being taken by the king. If he had somehow found out that I'd tried to warn Eric, perhaps he'd even want me dead, useful telepathic skills and tasty blood or not.

The rational side of my brain was telling me to hide, call my brother, or Alcide, or Amelia, ask for their help and hide until I could figure something out. The other side of my brain, the one that I surely used more than the other, was telling me to stand up for myself and for Eric, and take action. I could either run and hide, or I could stand and fight. Eric was out there somewhere, and I wondered if I could ever forgive myself if I did nothing to help him. But would I just be walking straight into danger? In resolving to help Eric, was I doing exactly what Felipe expected me to do? Would I fall right into his devious trap?

While I was going over all this in my head, I realized Pam was staring at me.

"I know what you are thinking," she said. "You want to help, but you know how dangerous that might be for you."

I stood up.

"I'm not leaving him to die," I said, looking her dead in the eye. My hands clenched into tight fists. "We're going to find him."

Pam smiled.

"_Ding-ding-ding-ding__-ding__. _That is the correct answer."

She turned and immediately set about making calls, directing the other vamps in what they needed to do. The gist of these conversations was that they needed to act like everything was normal, that they were all concerned for Eric's whereabouts, but that there were no suspicions of any wrongdoings or foul play on the part of the king. They were to sit tight for the moment, but be prepared, and inform Pam straight away if Eric made contact.

She directed me to the closet and told me to root around until I found a large black duffel bag. When I found it I unzipped it, and it contained all kinds of stuff; a smaller rucksack, bottled blood, rope, cash, a flashlight, a gun and a stake, among other things. She told me to find some bottled water and shove anything else I might find useful in there, so I went to the storeroom and brought water, Gatorade, and potato chips. I picked up a pen and paper that was just sitting on the side, though I had no idea what I would need it for.

I went back to Eric's office, my hands full, and stuffed it all into the bag.

"So what's the plan?" I asked her. "You got any idea what we're going to do?"

"We're going to drive to Oklahoma. We can't risk taking a flight. Indira is keeping in close contact with Anubis Air, and will call us with information when she has it."

"We're driving? How many hours until it's light?"

"Perhaps five. Not enough time to make it, which is why we're taking the van." She thrust a dark green jacket at me, and I took it from her. "The rest we will work out while we drive."

She picked up the bag, and I followed her out of the office.

Maxwell Lee was jumping down from the back of the van, which was parked right outside the back door. She gave him a few quickly barked orders, and as I went and got in the passenger side, I realized what a great sheriff she was going to make. Whenever there was important shit to do, Pam always kept a clear head, and commanded the attention and obedience of those around her. Eric had taught her well. Or perhaps she'd just always been like that, and it was one of the many qualities Eric saw in her when he'd decided to turn her.

Either way, right now, I was real glad of it.

We set off, and as we drove, the two of us grumbled about our hatred for Eric's maker, and we bitched about Freyda, and the king, too, of course. This was no fun road trip, or girly gossiping. Pam actually went into great detail explaining to me how she fantasized about scooping out Felipe's eyeballs and using them to garnish her blood cocktail. I won't even mention what she wanted to use as a stirrer.

Once we'd gotten all that off our chests, we formulated our next course of action. Our plan was simple; find out the last known location of the plane, drive there, and see if we could find Eric, or at least try to understand what had happened and where he might be. Pam said that the closer she was, the easier it would be for her to locate him, or for him to _call _her, in the maker/child way. If need be, we'd seek out the assistance of Freyda's people, though we were both reluctant at the possibility of having to do that. But if it meant finding Eric, we were willing to put aside our pride to ensure his safety.

We knew that time was against us. Come dawn, Pam would have to get inside the coffin in the back, and I'd be on my own. If Eric and I had still shared our blood bond maybe I'd have been able to have some luck by myself, but since it had been severed, that was no longer an option.

The road cleared the closer it came to dawn, and the gentle motion, warmth and quiet noise of the van finally sent me off to sleep.

I awoke with a start when I heard the door open. I looked to see Pam jumping down from the driver's seat. After rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I unbuckled and jumped out too. It felt good to breathe in the cool fresh air.

"I have spoken with Indira, and she spoke with Anubis again. The plane crash-landed in the middle of nowhere, and has been located. They have not stated anything official yet, however it sounds as though all human passengers and crew perished."

I brought my hand to my mouth in shock and horror.

"My God."

"It was a small flight," Pam said. "Around five crew and twenty two passengers, twelve of whom were vampire. It is not known how many vampires survived, Anubis are saying that they have found none, so far. As you know, vampire remains are much harder to identify. All we can be sure of is that Eric made it. The relevant authorities are investigating what happened, but you and I both know how unlikely it is that they will come up with anything of use to us." She opened the rear doors, and stepped in. "I have taken down the directions we were given, and have left them in the front. I don't know what you'll find when you get there, other than a badly damaged airplane in the middle of nowhere, but you might get something, perhaps from some of the Anubis staff."

She opened the lid of the coffin in the back, and climbed in.

"Are you gonna be alright in there?"

"Yes. The coffin itself is light-tight. Just lock the doors, and come for me when it gets dark."

I nodded, and she reached up to lower the lid. At the last moment, she sat up again.

"And Sookie."

"What?"

"Be brave, be cunning, and be ruthless."

I gave her another sharp nod, and closed the doors.

It was already getting lighter as I hoisted myself back into the van. I read the directions, and studied the map. Pam had helpfully pinpointed our current location, and traced the path I needed to take. It felt strange at first, being behind the wheel of such a large vehicle, but I soon got a feel for it. I was glad I'd worn my sneakers.

Thinking about human beings dying because of some vampire politics they had nothing to do with made me feel sick, but I knew I had to hold it together if I was going to find Eric and bring those people and their families any justice. It would make it that much easier to slam a stake into Felipe's chest, knowing he had the blood of so many innocent people on his hands.

I'd driven another hour before I got close to my destination, near the Glass Mountains State Park. Thankfully, it was easy to find. In the distance, to my left, I saw big floodlights, and what can only be described as a hive of activity in an otherwise desolate place. The plane was of course easy to spot.

I parked up close to a couple of other cars, and took a few deep breaths. I gathered a few things from the bag we'd brought, and shoved them into the smaller rucksack, which I could carry more easily. I drank some water, braided my hair into a plait, and slipped on the green jacket and a baseball cap, though if I came across anyone who knew me, they'd surely recognize me pretty quickly. Then I got out.

One thing was for sure, I realized as I made for the airplane, there'd be no vamps now it was light. The sun was fully up, and the cool air was fading, the warmth spreading through across the red dirt and seemingly endless prairie grasslands.

"Excuse me, lady." A tall white guy with glasses held a hand up and strode towards me, as I got closer. He was wearing an Anubis Air uniform. His name badge said Maurice. "You can't be here. Please step back."

"Well, I was just wondering what happened. Has there been an accident?"

"An unscheduled landing," he lied, in a polite yet nervous manner. "I can't comment. Please, just leave us to see to it."

"Is anyone hurt?" I pressed. I looked past him, towards the plane. It didn't seem burnt up, but it had quite obviously crash-landed, pieces ripped off, parts of the interior exposed. "It looks in pretty bad shape."

I opened my mind, lowering my shields, and was immediately flooded with his thoughts. Sometimes, in certain circumstances, I really loved a clear broadcaster. Maurice was in security, and thankfully for me, he hadn't seen the carnage up close.

"We're doing what we can here." _Only one survivor, out of all those people._"Please ma'am." _Captain must've been drunk, what else could be the explanation? __Planes don't just __fly past the airport, __go down without warning, no distress calls.__ How are we gonna explain __this__?_

He was genuinely shook up, and he was doing well not to lose it, and shove me back physically. I was reluctant to press him further than I had to, but these were desperate times. Could the sole survivor he thought of be Eric?

"Did anyone survive the crash? Anubis Air, right? I guess there were vampires on board?"

"I can't comment on that." _She'll find out soon enough, __this is gonna make the news__._"Now, you've got to move back, go back to your vehicle and carry on, on your way, ma'am." _It's a miracle she survived the crash at all. __A human survives and __all the vamps are dead__, so they say, __though who knows what's left of 'em__. __Must've all turned to dust or goo or __whatever, like on TV.__ "_Go on, now."

He waved his arms at me again, urging me back the way I came, and I stomped off. But I'd caught just enough from his thoughts to find out that they had found one sole survivor in the wreckage, a human woman. She'd been taken to hospital, and had apparently been in surprisingly good shape, considering.

Maurice seemed satisfied that he'd gotten rid of his curious bystander, and preoccupied with whatever other business he had been charged with care of, he started back towards the plane. After he'd gone some way, I turned and started back west. I'd seen a path leading to a rock which would overlook the whole area, and I made for it. The climb was deceptively difficult, mainly due to the rugged terrain, but I finally reached the top, and dusted my hands off, before shielding my eyes from the sun to get a good view of the scene.

The floodlights had all been switched off, and I could see what looked like the last of the ambulances being driven away. There were maybe twenty people down there, taking photographs and collecting whatever data they had to collect from such a devastating crash. More vehicles came and went. The press would no doubt arrive soon, to report for the early morning news.

I tried to imagine what might have happened. The captain might have been glamored or threatened, bitten and drained by one of the vampires on the plane. Unless he had some other means of bringing it down, Felipe must have had some of his people on the flight. I had no idea how many of the twelve vampires had been Freyda's people. Others, and perhaps Felipe himself, might have been on the ground, waiting. I wondered if a fight had occurred; Eric would have resisted and taken immediate action at the first sign of something suspicious. He loved a fight. But Felipe would have had the advantage of preparation, and probably numbers. Eric was still with us, according to Pam. He would have had to have been incapacitated somehow. Where would he have been taken? Felipe was on Freyda's turf, now. Why keep Eric alive? Was Freyda alive too? Vampires could withstand a lot of physical damage, but a plane crash? If some or all of the vampires had survived, and Felipe was behind the accident, why not kill them all and make it look like they had all perished in the crash?

I had so many questions, it was making my head hurt.

While I was thinking these things through, I caught sight of something that stood out as odd, a sort of disturbance to the ground near some rocks, further west of the plane and away from the direction of the road. Since I had no other bright ideas, I took another swig of water and carefully made my way back down the rocky path to take a closer look.

The specific area was harder to locate again once I was on the ground, but I finally found it. There'd been some major hullabaloo around the spot; the sand and dirt were all disturbed, like someone had been rolling around. I looked back towards the plane, and then up to the sky. In my head, I tried to imagine a vampire jumping out of a plane, maybe two vampires, fighting in mid-air. I imagined them falling to earth with a rather nasty bump. Would a vampire survive that? Even if they could fly, like Eric, if they were busy grappling with another vamp, they might hit the ground hard. I looked around again, thinking it over.

I realized that there were definitely footprints here and there, though they were fading fast since there was a light wind brushing over the dusty ground, and I couldn't say how many pairs of feet had made them. I stood there, trying to figure out what could have happened. I wished I had Calvin Norris with me, or some other expert tracker, to help me sniff it all out.

I opened my mind, lowering my mental guard since there was nobody around to disturb me, to help concentrate my thoughts on the scene before me.

And that was when I felt it. A void, perhaps as close as twenty feet away.

_Vampire._


	7. Chapter 7

The shock of sensing a vampire, and the thought that it could be Eric close by, sent my heart beating faster in my chest. I closed my eyes and tried to focus harder, turning around and around on the spot until I got an idea of the direction I needed to follow before I stepped forward, edging closer and closer to the void of the vampire mind. I didn't think I'd gone very far, maybe fifteen or twenty feet, when I knew I was very close. I opened my eyes and looked down.

To the right of where I was standing the ground was raised ever so slightly, and though a fresh layer of sand had covered most of the evidence of any disturbance, it was clear to me that someone was buried under all that dirt.

"Eric?" I whispered. I dropped to my knees and pressed my palms against the sand. "Eric, you down there?"

Of course, he, or whoever else it was, wasn't going to respond. They were dead for the day. I remembered the time in Rhodes when I'd rushed to wake Eric and Pam while the bombs were exploding, how I'd shouted and screamed right in Eric's ear and slapped him harder than I'd ever slapped anyone in my life, so hard that I thought my hand was going to fall off. It wasn't easy, waking the dead. Even when he'd realized the danger, it had taken every single ounce of determination he had to move. I'd seen Bill in the daytime, too, in a similar state. You had to really put some effort into rousing them to get any response from them. I knew I was in no danger.

I knelt there for a moment, gathering my thoughts. I fought the urge to dig with my hands, since digging up a vampire in full sunlight was a definite no-no. I thought about doing it anyway; maybe I could expose a little just to see whether it was Eric, and then quickly cover them with dirt again. But I had no idea how far down they were buried, how they'd react to being exposed to daylight, or whether I'd do any serious damage. The temptation was still strong. If I knew for sure it was Eric then Pam and I could be ready when he rose, to pick him up and get him out of there.

Having a sudden brainwave, I fished my cell phone out of my pocket, and dialed Eric's number. I hoped I might hear it ring underground, but whether or not it was on silent, just buried too far down, or he and his phone were somewhere else entirely, I heard nothing.

This wasn't the first time I'd had regrets about severing the bond I had with Eric. Though it had annoyed the hell out of me at times, and it had made me question my true feelings toward him, too, I had to admit our blood tie had had its uses. But there was no point in dwelling on that now.

I had no evidence to suggest that the vampire below ground was actually Eric. Maybe it was Freyda, or one of her people, or worse, one of Felipe's. I even considered the possibility that it might even be the king himself. That really got me wondering. Maybe I'd find me a hardware store nearby, buy myself a shovel and dig 'em up, after all.

After thinking it over a little longer, I stood up, slung the backpack over my shoulder, and set off back the way I came. As I went, I remained focused, but sensed no other voids. I couldn't be certain that there weren't others, further away than my mind could reach, but the area surrounding the airplane was so vast and desolate that I could be searching all day long, and even if there were others out there, I could still do nothing about that right now. I decided that I would just work on the premise that there might be other vampires buried underground nearby, and that there was only a chance that Eric was one of them.

I walked back up the steep rock and looked out over the area again. I retrieved my cell phone from my pocket and took a couple of pictures, so that I'd know the right spot to show Pam later.

I decided that the only useful thing I could do before dark was to go to the hospital, and see if I could speak to the woman who survived the crash. The fact that she'd survived at all seemed a true miracle, and it made me suspicious. I didn't really believe in miracles anymore. While some people might see her survival as divine intervention, I wondered whether someone had in fact helped her. If this were the case, what might be the motive for doing such a good deed? Vampires were hardly known for going out of their way to assist a human in need, out of the goodness of their cold, dead hearts.

Something didn't sit right, and I wanted to know more.

I was pretty sure I'd heard Maurice thinking of Woodford or Woodfield hospital, and when I got back to the van I pulled out the map again to check for which hospitals were close by. It took me a little while, but finally I found one in the nearby town of Woodward.

So far, so good.

While I drove, feeling strangely weird having Pam lying dead in a coffin in the back, and trying not to go over too many bumps (not that she'd feel them), I thought that maybe, just maybe, I might be able to pull all this off.

Woodward was just another quiet, small Southern town like so many others, and Woodward hospital was nothing out of the ordinary. There were plenty of parking spots, and before I got out, I gave a quick glance behind me in Pam's direction. I knew she'd be okay, but I still felt bad leaving her alone. I told myself to stop being an idiot.

As I made my way through the door and up to the front desk, I realized I had no idea what I was going to say, or who I was going to ask for. But it didn't feel right, just waltzing straight in and wandering about the place, snooping around. I was sure to look more suspicious that way.

A middle-aged lady in a dark blue pants suit smiled at me, as I neared her desk.

"Hi there," she said pleasantly. "Can I help you?"

"Hi. I'm here to see the lady who came in not so long ago, from the plane crash. I'm sorry, I don't know my way around here."

She narrowed her eyes, but her smile remained fixed in place.

"You family?"

"Uh-huh, I'm her sister."

She looked down at a book on her desk, and then at a computer screen. She wasn't easy to read, this one, but I heard her thinking_ 'Kimbler, Kimbler, Nicole Kimbler'_, as she searched the records.

"I'm real worried about Nicole," I said immediately. "I just thank God that she survived that crash. Is she alright?"

"You'll need to speak with the doctor about that."

I nodded, and tried my best to look like a deeply concerned and anxious relative. I pushed past the guilt I was feeling from lying so blatantly.

"Can I see her?"

She picked up the receiver of the phone on her desk, and punched in a few numbers. She had a short conversation with someone at the other end, and I had a moment of panic when I realized some of her friends and family might have already arrived.

"No, just her sister," she said, before looking at me again, putting her hand over the phone to speak to me. "Your mom, she was going to be driving from Texas?"

"Oh, yeah. I don't live too far away, so I told her I'd make it here as soon as I could and see her when she made it here later."

She took her hand from the mouthpiece again.

"Yeah, her mom is still on her way. Alright. Thanks." She put the phone down and pointed to her right. "Take the elevator to the second floor and turn left and left again. Her room's a few doors down on the right hand side, Room 212."

"Thanks."

I smiled at her and hot-footed it down the corridor.

I found my way without a hitch, thankfully it wasn't one of those vast hospital complexes that you could so easily get lost in. I had a quick look around the corner, peeking to check who might be around outside her room, and for a moment I felt like I was in one of the spy novels I'd been getting into recently. Absurdly, in that moment, I realized I had a number of library books which were due back that day. _Dammit._

Satisfied that the coast was clear, I turned the corner and walked to Room 212. I waited outside for a moment, listening to see whether anyone else was in the room with her before going in. When I was satisfied there was only one brain signature inside, I gave a couple of light taps to the door, before opening it.

Inside, a young woman with curly brown hair was sitting up in bed, propped with lots of pillows. She was wearing a neck brace, but other than that, she appeared to have no broken limbs or even any cuts or bandages, that I could see.

She caught my eye, turning her head awkwardly in the brace, and I smiled.

"Hi."

"Oh, hi," she said uncertainly.

I decided to come clean with her. It wasn't as if I could keep up the pretense of being her sister anymore.

"I'm really sorry to bother you, I know you've been through a lot, and I'm real sorry about that. I knew someone on that flight, a vampire."

"Oh."

"Anubis hasn't been able to provide much information about what happened to the vampires, or why the plane crashed at all. They said you were the only one who survived."

"Yeah, that's what they told me," she said. "I never saw any other survivors."

"Well, I was wondering if you could tell me anything about what happened."

She was still looking unsure, but after a moment, she nodded.

"I guess."

"You're Nicole, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"I'm Adele," I said, willing to give up my motive for coming but not my true name. "Adele Du Rone."

I stepped forward and held out my hand, and she slowly reached out and shook it limply. Touching her helped me to read her better, but her mind was a jumble of questions about me, and also she felt pity, because she didn't think that anyone but her, including all the vampires on the flight, had made it. Of course, she was also still in shock at having gone through such a terrible ordeal.

"You can sit down, if you want," she said.

"Thanks."

I took a seat in the plastic chair beside her bed.

"What do you want to know? I already told everyone everything that happened."

"Do you know what caused the plane to crash?"

"No. At some point the captain told us we'd need to take a longer route, because of some weather problems, although the weather looked fine to me. Then a little while later we started dropping, and we were told to strap in, and then the panic started. The vampires, they got up, some of them went forward, into the cockpit, I don't know why, maybe to see if there was anything they could do, but others started fighting."

"What?"

"Yeah, a big tall one, with long blonde hair, he was going crazy. He was fighting with the other vampires. He had him a stake, and he took down everyone in his path, vampire and human. He killed two stewardesses, and I thought he might kill me, too. There was a load of coffins strapped to the walls towards the back, so I got in one of those and locked myself in. They told me that's how I managed to survive.

"Wait, you saw a tall, blonde vampire kill all the other vampires, and some of the humans, too?"

"Yes. I'm so sorry."

I guessed she was feeling sorry for me because she thought that the big blonde one had killed my vampire. Little did she realize that the killing machine was mine. Eric taking out some of the other vamps, maybe I could understand, but all of them, and humans too?

"How did you know he was a vampire?"

"Huh?"

"You could tell the vampires from the humans?"

She raised her eyebrows, seemingly surprised at the question, and shrugged.

"I don't know."

I concentrated my mind on her thoughts, and realized she was telling the truth, she really didn't know. I addition to that, there was also a fuzziness to her memories that got me wondering. I leaned forward in my seat.

"Did anyone try to open the door? Maybe the vampires tried to get out?"

She frowned, concentrating, and shook her head.

"I don't remember."

"Do you remember being inside that coffin at all?" I asked her.

"Sure." In her mind, there was a complete blank. "It was, dark, I guess. Maybe I passed out."

"Probably. It must have been so traumatic." I took the opportunity to put my hand on top of hers, in a gesture of sympathy. "And after the crash, what do you remember?"

Now her mind was a real blank. This wasn't her trying to block out the trauma, though, I'd witnessed this before. She'd been glamored.

"I... I only really remember being found. Wait, maybe I don't remember that. I think I remember being in the ambulance. It's hazy."

I nodded and patted her hand.

"It's okay. I appreciate you telling me what you could, Nicole." I stood up. "I should tell you, I told the lady downstairs I was your sister. I'm sorry I had to lie. I just needed to know what happened first hand. I hope you understand?"

She looked at me for a moment, before giving a little nod.

"I understand. Like I said, Adele, I'm real sorry your friend didn't make it."

I smiled at her, and made my way out, taking the steps down this time.

When I got back to the van, I sat for a moment and went over in my head what I'd just learned. Nicole had survived the crash, apparently by locking herself inside one of the coffins on board, though her memory of it was blank, as though it had been planted that way. She had told me that a vampire matching Eric's description had gone on some kind of crazy rampage, but lots of things about that didn't sit right with me.

If Eric had made it through the crash and glamored her, what reason would he have had to do that, and why plant that particular version of events in her mind?

I realized that I now had even more questions than answers. _Great._ Pam was going to be so pleased. I felt the void of her brain behind me, and sighed.

Since I was hungry and only had a jumbo pack of Cool Ranch Doritos to eat, I decided to find somewhere to have lunch. On my way back to the crash site, I found a diner called _My Way Cafe_ and ordered the chicken fried steak. While I waited I made some notes on the pad and paper I'd brought, but writing it all down didn't help me understand anything any clearer.

My lunch was good, and I felt ten times better once I'd eaten. They had a small TV above the counter, and the news was reporting on the plane crash. Local people coming and going expressed their shock to each other about it happening so close by. There were a few comments about vampire flights being extra dangerous, though I don't know where they got that idea from. Then, when I thought about it, it was highly likely vampires had been the cause of the crash, so I couldn't really stand up and defend them.

I hung around a little longer than I usually would, drinking coffee and watching the news, since I had nowhere else to be before sundown. I listened in on the people around me, but none of them had any information which was of any use to me.

I freshened up in the restroom, before paying for my lunch and leaving a decent tip, and thanking the waitress. Then I headed back to the van parked outside. I checked my watch and looked up at the sky, and decided I would drive back to the crash site, and wait close by, until dark.

When I arrived there, there were still other vehicles around, and people around the plane. A fence of yellow tape now surrounded the area, and it seemed as though security was even tighter now that the public knew about the accident. I turned on the radio and hummed along to some old country songs, and waited.

I must have drifted off to sleep, because the next thing I knew I was awoken with a start, and some loud bangs against the panel behind me. I fumbled to retrieve the keys and open the door, before practically falling out of the van.

"Alright, alright, Pam, I'm coming."

I unlocked the back doors, and Pam immediately jumped out.

"What happened? Did you find anything?"

Her hair was all flat and crumpled at the back, but then, mine probably was too, so I didn't say anything about it.

"There's a vamp buried out there, but I don't know whether it's Eric or not. A human survived the crash and I went to see her at the hospital. She told me Eric had gone crazy and basically killed everyone on board, before the plane went down."

Pam looked at me with more confusion than concern.

"All twenty-something passengers and crew?"

I shrugged.

"That's pretty much what she said. Her memory of the whole thing was hazy. I think she was glamored, Pam."

She stared at me for a moment, taking the information in, before shutting the doors.

"Where is this vampire? We need to take a look. If it's Eric, I should feel his presence, the closer we are."

I nodded and went to retrieve my rucksack. Pam downed a bottle of blood and I drank some water. She pulled a stake from the larger bag and tucked it down her pants, and I took the gun, sticking it in one of my jacket pockets, and shoved the flashlight in the other. The moonlight would be good enough, I hoped, as I didn't want to draw too much attention with the beam. Then we were on our way. I found my bearings again, not needing to check the picture on my phone. We strode out quickly, but stayed sharp.

"Do you feel him yet?" I asked her, as we got closer to the spot.

"No. Do you?"

I opened my mind fully, but could sense no voids. I placed my hand on her arm, stopping her.

"Wait, I need to just focus."

Pam made an impatient sighing noise.

"Is this the wrong place?"

"No, it was right here, just a few feet away, I'm sure. I can't feel anything though."

Pam took a few strides forward, and pointed ahead. I stepped forward too, pulled out the flashlight, clicked it on, and looked down.

I was staring at an empty grave.

* * *

_**A/N: Just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone who continues to read this story and for your support and reviews, I really appreciate it. I also want to give a special shout-out and chest-bump to Stacey (RubySun03), not only for her help as a beta but also for her input and awesome ideas for this story. You're the best, Stacers! x**_


	8. Chapter 8

The grave had been partially filled in again, or perhaps it was just how the dirt had settled when whoever had been in there had crawled out. Pam stepped into the shallow hole and crouched down.

"Was it Eric?" I said to her. "What do you think?"

"I think you should have been here before sundown," she snapped. "Why were you not here?"

I put my hands on my hips and cocked my head, frowning at her.

"I didn't know whether it was Eric or not, it could've been anyone. They might've been hungry, or out to get me."

"There were stakes in the bag, a gun, a silver knife, you could have defended yourself if it had been one of our enemies."

"I needed to let you out too, remember?"

Pam made a sort of growling noise, and stepped out.

"The scent is faint," she mumbled. "But I think it is his. He may have done his best to try to mask it, in case anyone else came searching for him."

I took a deep breath and held it.

"Do you feel him near? Is he calling you?"

Pam looked at me and shook her head.

"No."

"But, surely he-"

"I do not know why," Pam snapped, beginning to sound seriously agitated. "If he knows I am close but he is not calling me, he will have his reasons."

Right then, her cell phone rang. Pam was all fingers and thumbs as she tried to find which pocket it was in. I'd never seen her so flustered. She dug it out and answered.

"Yes? No, I have not. Have you heard anything?" She turned and began pacing up and down as she spoke, and I took the opportunity to check my own phone. I had a text from Tara inviting me to dinner next week, and another from Sam, asking me to call him when I had the time. I guessed he was just checking up on me, making sure I was alright. I decided I'd check in with him when I had a moment to spare. I dialed Eric's number, and waited and waited for him to pick up, desperately hoping to hear the sound of his voice, but there was no answer.

I looked around, and searched with my other sense, to see whether I could feel Eric myself, or at least be sure there were no other vamps around. I could feel nothing, other than Pam, of course. I was pretty pissed at her for giving me such a telling off, but I couldn't help but kick myself. He'd been so close. Maybe I should have been waiting. Maybe someone else had been waiting for him, instead.

I suddenly began to feel the chill of the evening, and wrapped my jacket tighter around myself.

"Shreveport has received no word from Eric, yet," Pam said, shocking me, since I had my back to her and hadn't realized she'd finished her conversation. "Have you tried calling him?"

"Yeah. No answer."

"We need to get out of here," Pam said, already striding forward, back in the direction we had come, and I followed her. "Let's find somewhere safe to set up a base. We need to decide on our next plan of action, and you need to tell me everything you have learned so far. I need to change, too, and you need to do something with your hair."

"So do you."

Pam turned her head and raised an eyebrow at me. She dialed another number, I guessed it was Eric's, but she never got a response, either.

We got back into the van, Pam getting into the driver's side. She pulled the map out of the glove compartment, and studied it. Neither of us were particularly tech savvy, I knew there were ways to access maps on phones these days, but unfortunately, Pam and I were old school. Of course, Pam was _really_ old school.

As I sat there waiting, I looked at my phone, and tried to decide whether or not I should send Eric a message, or leave a voicemail this time. But what if someone else had found his cell, or even confiscated it? If Eric wasn't answering, or trying to get in contact with anyone, did he have good reason for doing this? Or did he simply just not have access to his phone?

In the end I decided against it. If he had his cell phone on him, he'd see he had missed calls from me and Pam, and to anyone else who might have it, there'd surely seem nothing unusual about receiving a couple of calls from his child and his ex.

I shoved my phone back into my pocket, buckled up, and sighed.

"There's a motel about thirty miles away," Pam said. "We'll head there. Then maybe-"

"Shh."

Suddenly, I felt something. I leaned forward in the seat, and remained absolutely still.

"What is it?" Pam whispered.

"Vampire. Maybe more than one. It's faint, pretty far away, but I feel it."

"Well then, it is not Eric," Pam said, immediately pulling out back onto the road. "Otherwise I would know. Keep your spidey-sense activated, Sookie. There are bound to be vampires around, perhaps Anubis staff, but we cannot be sure who it might be or how they would react to finding us here. The king is certain to send someone to investigate, if only to make it appear as though he is concerned about the loss of his people. More likely, he will want to check for possible survivors."

She stepped it up a gear, and we decided to drive to a different motel, a little further away. As we drove, I went over the day's events, recounting every single detail about what I had learned while she'd been dead for the day. Pam mostly just listened, and when I told her exactly what Nicole had said about Eric going crazy and killing everyone, and how suspicious I was about that, as well as how she'd gotten out of it alive, she and I appeared to be on the same page. It was frustrating for the both of us, not being able to figure out exactly what had happened, the level of danger we were all in, and what our next course of action should be. It was frustrating, as well, knowing Eric was alive but being unable to speak to him, to try to figure it all out together, and at least get some answers. But Pam was right, he must have his reasons.

The Lazy H Motel was cheap-looking but seemed like the sort of place people would keep to themselves, and not ask too many questions. Honestly, I didn't care whether or not it was four star luxury, I was just excited at the prospect of getting a warm shower.

We parked, grabbed our stuff, and followed the sign that said reception. We walked through the doors, up to the front desk. There was a large man with a mustache and beard sitting there, devouring what might have been a meatball sandwich. He was wearing a baseball cap, and there was sauce down the front of his t-shirt.

"Good evening," Pam said politely. "My friend and I would like a room."

He turned his head to look at us, and raised an eyebrow.

"Double or twin beds?" he asked, still chewing.

I caught a glimpse of some majorly dirty thoughts, and put my shields up, blocking them out.

"Whatever," Pam sighed. "Twin."

"We got vibrating massage beds, if you're interested."

Pam and I looked at one another.

"Do you want a vibrating massage bed?" she asked me seriously.

"Um, not really, no."

"We are not interested," Pam told him.

"I got a twin room, $60 a night."

"Excellent."

He put his half-eaten sandwich down and stood up, and told us to sign in, while he went around the back to grab the room keys. After she'd scribbled in the book, Pam nudged me, smiling. She'd signed us in as Tess Steckle and Annette Curtain. I snorted.

"This place was a real nice choice, Tess," I whispered.

"I'm much more of an Annette," Pam said. "You can be Tess. It's perfect. No questions, vibrating beds, $60 per night, handsome male staff, what more do you want?"

Mr. Handsome returned with the keys and took Pam's cash, handing her a receipt. Then he told us to follow him. On the way to the room, he gave us the usual spiel about the dos and don'ts, what time we'd be expected to vacate, and so on. Our room was pretty small, but looked clean at least. As soon as we were alone, I flopped down onto one of the beds. I immediately regretted doing so, since I began to feel drowsy. I'd only managed to grab a few hours sleep in the last 36 hours or so.

"It feels like we've been here for weeks, but it's only been a day."

"You can get some rest soon," Pam said. "I need to call Fangtasia again. Why don't you check that place across the road. They might have something you could eat, and I need more blood." She pulled her phone out. "There's no way I'm snacking on that hairy meatball," she mumbled.

With some effort, I got up off the bed and headed across the road to the gas station. On the way, my phone beeped, and I checked it to find I had received a text from Bill. It read simply _'People at your house, looking for you.'_

Great.

At the gas station, I picked up a copy of the local newspaper and flicked through it. The plane crash had made the front page, of course, and young Nicole Kimbler, a lone traveler from San Antonio, was headline news, having miraculously survived. There was little information that I didn't know already, along with the alleged suggestion that it was a blood-crazed vampire who caused the crash, and then died himself when the plane hit the ground. Nicole, the plucky, smart human, had witnessed it all. _Hmm, from inside __a__ coffin? _Surely people were going to question that. Or maybe they'd just be too blinded by the vamp hate to care.

I folded up the copy to buy so I could show Pam, picked up some snacks, some Coke, and blood, as well as a few toiletries like deodorant and a toothbrush, and headed back to the motel.

Pam was sitting on the edge of one of the beds, texting, when I entered the room. She had a face like thunder.

"What's wrong?" I asked, almost scared to hear the answer.

"The king has called Fangtasia, asking to speak with me. Indira has put him off as long as she can, but I will need to report to him, very soon, otherwise he will be suspicious."

I put my bag down and sat opposite her. I narrowed my eyes, thinking, and concentrated my thoughts.

"If Felipe thinks Eric is really dead, for good, then he'll know you know, right?"

Pam looked up at me, and nodded.

"Yes."

"If he's not certain, then you would be the only one who could tell him, for sure."

Pam nodded again.

"That's right," she said. "But I do not know how much the king knows. If he knows nothing, and I tell him Eric is alive, he will surely hunt him down. If on the other hand he knows Eric is alive but I tell him my maker is dead, this could have dire consequences for me."

I pursed my lips, and we both thought about that for a minute.

"Either way, it's looking pretty dire, right?"

Pam shrugged.

"I would say so, yes."

"But if he isn't sure, or thinks there's a possibility Eric might've been killed, and you tell him he's definitely dead, then what?"

"Perhaps he will believe me, perhaps not. Either way, what can he do, other than continue with his plan, whatever it is?"

"What did Indira tell Felipe?"

"Only that we are concerned about Eric, in that his plane crashed and we have had no word from him, which is of course perfectly true. Whether he believes it or not is another thing. Of course he is going to want to speak with me personally, to gauge my reaction, and to confirm for him whether or not Eric lives."

"What are you going to do?" I asked. "We don't know how much Felipe knows."

We were quiet for a moment.

"I am going to tell him he is dead," Pam said, finally. "Everything we know so far points to Eric having been the sole survivor, and as far as we are aware he went to ground himself, and hopefully he was not found by anyone, before we got there. He has not been in contact, which suggests he is trying to lay low, and stay hidden for now, preferring to allow everyone to believe he is dead."

She stood, and pulled her jacket back on.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Back to Shreveport."

"You're not just gonna call the king?"

"No, I need to be there, else he will be suspicious. You stay here, and I will return tomorrow night. You have everything you need for the moment, there is more money in the bag. Go to the front desk tomorrow and say you will be staying another night, maybe more. Upgrade to a vibrating bed, if you want."

"Shouldn't I come back with you?" I said, suddenly worried. "Will you make it back home before dawn?"

"Yes, I'll make it. You'll probably be safer here, for now."

"Bill sent me a message, he said there were people at my house tonight, looking for me."

"Hmm, that does not surprise me. The king wastes no time, does he?"

"What should I do?" I said. "You think there's anywhere else I can look for Eric?"

"Whoever you obtained information from, however you learned about the danger Eric was in, do you think they will know more?"

I shook my head.

"No, they'd have nothing more."

She gripped my shoulders. "Lock the door, and be careful. Stay indoors as much as possible. Answer calls only from people you know. I will be back tomorrow, and will stay in contact."

"Okay. You be careful, too."

She gave me a nod, and then she was out the door, and I locked it behind her, putting the key on the table with the TV on it. I sat down on the bed and listened to the faint buzzing of the air-conditioner, and of the brains nearby, all human and all regular, banal thoughts. No thoughts about murdering or kidnapping me, which was good.

I undressed and stepped into the shower. I couldn't remember the last time I'd enjoyed a shower so much. Maybe it was that one with Eric. I would've given anything, pretty much, in that moment, to have Eric's fingers shampooing my hair instead of my own, to feel his hands firmly massaging my shoulders, easing away the tension. Sadly, I'd just have to settle for the warm spray and my own, comparatively talentless hands, instead.

Once I was done, I dried myself off with one of the rather threadbare, but clean towels, brushed out my hair, and cleaned my teeth. I found a small hair dryer, and dried off my hair, too. It felt great to be clean again, and I felt somehow more alive.

There was a clean Fangtasia t-shirt in the duffel bag, and I pulled it on. It was an extra large size, but I figured it would do to sleep in. I realized that without Pam, I felt very alone in this unfamiliar place. I checked my phone again, but I had no new messages. I decided I'd call Sam, dialing Merlotte's number.

"Merlotte's Bar and Grill."

"Sam, it's Sookie."

"Sookie, you alright?"

"Yeah, fine. I got your message."

I heard the noise of the bar in the background, the laughter and the music. It made me long for home.

"There were people in here asking after you," Sam said, his voice lower. "They said it was urgent, but wouldn't tell me who they were. I didn't like the look of 'em, Sook."

"Who were they? You recognize them?"

"No. Two humans, big guys, well-dressed, real suspicious. Smelled like vampire, though."

I closed my eyes and sighed. When was I ever going to be able to return home?

"What did they say?"

"They asked if you were working today, and I asked them who wanted to know. They'd only say it was urgent they spoke to you, nothing else. I didn't tell them anything. They hung around for half an hour or so, then left."

"Bill told me there were people at my house tonight, too."

"Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"When am I not in trouble, Sam?"

I heard him exhale down the phone.

"Where are you?"

"Don't worry," I said. The less he knew, the better. "It'll all be alright, and I'll be back soon. I'm sorry, I really can't tell you more. Sorry to leave you a waitress down again, too."

"You just stay safe, okay? Call me if you need me."

"I will. And Sam, thanks. You're a good friend. The best."

I put the phone down, and a wave of sadness washed over me. Was this how my life would be now? Running from the king, hiding out in dingy motels, always looking over my shoulder? If Felipe began losing patience, what if he were to take someone I loved, threaten them, forcing me to come to him? Was I just delaying the inevitable, and putting people I loved at risk in the process?

I pulled one of the wooden stakes from the bag, and shoved it under the pillow. Then I got underneath the covers and switched off the lamp on the bedside table. My mind was so jumbled with everything that had happened and I was so exhausted that I couldn't think straight anymore, and I drifted off to sleep almost as soon as I closed my eyes.

I awoke with a start, knowing something was wrong. I sat bolt upright in bed, and listened. After another few seconds I heard the handle of the door being turned, and then the sound of something being inserted into the lock, a metallic wiggling noise. Someone was trying to get into my room.

In the haziness of half-sleep, it was more difficult to reach out with my other sense, and I had to force myself to concentrate. Still unable to fully focus, but beginning to panic, I grabbed the stake from beneath the pillow and leaped out of bed, careful to stay as quiet as possible. I held my breath as I stood behind the door, my back pressed up against the wall. In the faint glow of the light through the curtains, I watched unblinking as the doorknob turned, little by little. I braced myself, positioning the stake at optimum height, ready to ram it into whoever was about to enter.

The door slowly opened, and I waited a second, before shoving it closed with my foot. Then I jumped forward, using all my strength and weight to bring the stake down onto my intruder.


	9. Chapter 9

The intruder turned swiftly and just as I felt the tip of the wood press against his chest, my wrist was caught in a strong, firm grip. I pressed forward with all my weight, clenching my teeth, but the stake wouldn't budge an inch further. I fought to shake myself free, but then another arm was gripping me, and I was being lifted and squeezed. I automatically kicked out with my feet but hardly seemed to make any contact at all.

"Get _off __me__!_"

"Shh. It's me."

I spared a second to glance at whoever was squeezing the life out of my arm, and caught a glimpse of the stranger's face. Except it wasn't the face of a stranger at all.

It was Eric.

I stopped struggling, my body suddenly rigid and dead still. I looked at him, my mouth open and eyes wide with astonishment. My lips moved, but no words came out. I was rendered completely stupefied.

"Hello, my lover," he said, his voice low and husky. Three simple words which I had heard him speak a hundred times or more, but words I had thought I would never hear again. I was never happier to hear them.

"Eric."

He let go of my wrist and I immediately dropped the stake to wrap my arms around his neck. I hugged him tightly, and he responded, his own strong arms embracing me, holding me close against his body. He lifted me up further, and I wrapped my legs around his torso.

"Oh thank God, you're alright," I said, suddenly feeling breathless and sort of dizzy. I pressed my cheek against his, and felt the familiar brush of light stubble against my skin. He smelled earthy. His hands massaged my body as he continued to hold me, his fingers pressing into my flesh and grabbing at the material of my t-shirt, bunching it in his fists. I clung onto him as tightly as I could, hardly able to believe that it was actually Eric I was wrapped around.

I felt his cool lips on my neck, brushing lightly at first, then pressing harder against my skin. I grabbed a fistful of his hair, and it felt dry and tangled in my fingers. I tugged on it, pulling him away from my neck so I could look at his face.

In the dim light of the room, his pale skin had that glow to it, but I could see that he was dirty from having been underground. His mouth hung open as I kept his head pulled back, and his fangs were peeping out from below his lip. His bright blue eyes blazed as he looked back at me. A whole plethora of emotions and unspoken words passed between us.

A normal person might've punched him in the face at that point, or at the very least shouted at him for not calling, and for sneaking into the room and scaring me witless. Or they might have ordered him to put his fangs back in where they belonged and marched him into the bathroom to get cleaned up. A normal, sensible person might've reined themselves in, taken a deep breath and sat down to have a serious and important conversation about the events of the last few days.

But I was not normal, and wasn't feeling terribly sensible, either.

So I kissed him. I kissed him long and hard, and I made desperate moaning noises as I did so. Talking could wait. Right in that moment, all sense and reason was tossed out the window. All I cared about was the fact that Eric was with me, and all I really wanted to do was kiss his face and show him how much I'd missed him.

Thankfully, and somewhat predictably, he quickly got with the program. His hands kept up their exploration of my body, as our lips and tongues did the talking for us.

I reveled in the familiar, expert way his mouth worked against mine, the taste of him, the cool smooth skin beneath my fingers. I could feel my pulse racing, hear the beat of my heart in my own ears. The brush of his tongue against mine sent sweet jolts of pleasure through my body, making me tingle through to my toes. It felt like every tiny hair on my body was standing on end, and my hormones were jumping up and down in that way they did when we had shared our blood bond.

He stepped forwards while still holding me in his arms, and I felt the wall at my back as I was pressed against it. His hands supported my thighs and bottom, and he ground his hips hard against mine and moved restlessly, as our kisses became more frenzied.

I fumbled to undo the buttons of his black shirt, tugging it out of his pants, and he set me back down on the floor, still kissing me as he shucked it off and tossed it aside. I was desperate to feel the touch of his bare skin. I ran my hands over his chest and shoulders, savoring him for a moment.

"You're really here, aren't you?" I said breathlessly. My lips felt swollen. "I'm not still dreaming, am I?"

"Does this feel real?"

He took my hand by the wrist and pressed it against the bulge in his pants. I traced the shape of it, pressing harder, stroking.

"Could be," I teased. "Maybe not. I might need to get a closer inspection."

Eric growled as he tugged at my t-shirt, and I pulled it off over my head, tossing it on the floor. His hands and mouth were immediately focused on my chest, squeezing and kissing my breasts. His lips fixed tightly over a nipple and he sucked hard. I felt his hand slide down my body then move between my thighs. He stroked and teased me with his deft fingers while his mouth remained occupied, sucking and nibbling in a way he knew drove me wild. The combination of sensations had me squirming, my back arching. I gasped as he pulled on my nipple before letting go, the tingling sensation left behind spreading through my whole body.

"How about that?" he whispered at my ear, his fingers sliding in and out of me. "How does that feel?"

"Oh God, Eric. It feels... _oh_."

I slid my hand down between our bodies to quickly undo his belt and zipper. I reached inside and wrapped my fingers around his long, hard length and stroked, watching his face as I did so. His lips parted, and he closed his eyes for a moment, before he lowered his mouth to mine for another long, lingering kiss.

Then before I knew it, I was lifted and pressed up against the wall again. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, and my thighs parted further as he pushed his body up against mine. I could feel him ready to enter, the thick tip of him pressing against me. He reached down and I felt him brush the smooth head up and down over my entrance, teasing my hard, sensitive bud as he did so. Then he shifted a little, and I wiggled my hips, and he was easing into me. He gripped me under my thighs with both arms again, and I held onto him as he thrust harder, until he was filling me.

"Eric. Oh my God, Eric."

My fingernails dug into his shoulders and raked up his back, as the room suddenly became filled with the sound of skin against skin, and our pleasured moans and grunts. The small space seemed to be filled with a sort of frantic, crackling energy, and I simply fed off it, feeling more alive and energized than I had in months. I forgot about everything else, focusing entirely on the moment. This wasn't slow, gentle, tender love-making. This was a desperate need which had to be filled. It was pure want and desire.

Eric carried me over to the set of drawers, perching me on the edge, and I leaned back on my arms as he continued at his relentless pace. Things fell on the floor, things I suddenly had no care for. I lifted my knees higher, parting my thighs further, and reached around to squeeze that glorious butt as it worked.

Then I was lifted again and pressed up against a different wall. Eric began thrusting faster and faster with his hips, and as my moans grew louder and I began to feel my impending release, I bit down on his shoulder. I didn't draw blood, but I bit him hard, and Eric made a low, guttural noise and began to utter words in that language of his I never understood. I was pretty sure whatever he was saying, it was dirty.

The sound of him only made me hotter, and I clung onto him as the waves of pleasure washed through my body, the orgasm coursing through me. I felt my whole body flush with heat. Eric thrust deep up into me, and I felt him tense and then shudder, as he found his own release. He kissed me, and whispered more words I didn't understand, as we came back down to earth.

After a moment or two, he turned with me still wrapped around him, and sat on one of the beds. We just kissed and stroked each other for a while, enjoying the intimacy and the sweet glow of the moment.

"Does it still feel like a dream?" he asked.

"If it is, it might just be the best one I ever had." I brushed back some hair from his face. "You're dirty," I said.

"You remembered."

"Your hair. Your clothes."

"All the more reason for me to be out of them."

His hand cupped my breast, and then his lips were trailing over my neck and down my chest. His pace was slower now, his touch and his kisses softer and sweeter, but his focus still appeared to be on sex rather than talking.

"You were buried underground, right?"

"Yes."

"What happened?"

I felt him sigh against my neck.

"The plane went down."

_Well, duh._

"I know. Are you alright? Did you get hurt?"

"No, I'm not hurt."

"Did anyone else survive? How did you know I was here? Eric, you've got to tell me what happened."

"Not now," he whispered. He looked me in the eye, and I could see a longing and a sort of desperation in his face. I wasn't sure whether it scared me or gave me hope. "I'll tell you everything, just not right now. Please."

I nodded. It could wait a little longer. What mattered to me most in that moment was that Eric was with me and he was all in one piece. He stood and I wrapped my legs around his body again, and we made our way to the bathroom.

As we stood under the warm spray of the shower, I washed him, all the while anxiously checking for cuts and injuries would have already been long since healed, even if he had sustained any. He watched me closely, enjoying every brush of my soapy fingers on his skin. I took my time, making sure I cleaned every single inch of that huge, spectacular body. After I'd finished, I made a start on his hair, and the water ran red-brown down the drain as I soaked it through before shampooing it.

Eric seemed to relax further as I reached up to massage his scalp with my fingers. I tried my best to work out the tangles, before rinsing the soap out. As the water finally ran clear, I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my cheek against his back. He braced a hand against the tile, and with his other hand he touched my arm where I was holding him.

"You came for me," I heard him say. "After all that has happened, you still came to find me."

"Of course I did."

"I should have planned for this," he said through clenched teeth. "I should not have trusted De Castro. I have put every one of us at risk through my own ignorance."

"Hey." I lifted my head and unwound my arms, and he turned to look at me. "This isn't your fault."

"Many are dead, more are likely to die. I should have taken care of him long ago."

"It was Felipe, then." Of course, Pam and I had kind of worked it out, but to hear it from Eric's mouth made it all seem so much more real, and frightening.

"Who else?"

He looked down at me, smoothing out my damp hair, and his face softened. His arms wrapped around me, and he just held me close for a moment.

"I have missed this," he said.

"Me too."

After a little while longer, he shut off the shower, and we stepped out of the tub. He rubbed at my hair with one of the towels as I dried off, and then I went to lay on one of the beds, pulling the covers up, and watched Eric as he dried himself off. It was a real treat, watching him rub his body with that little towel. When he caught my eye and saw I was staring, he smirked at me.

"See something you like?"

"Hm-mm. That towel, it's got a little embroidered rose on it. I'd really like to get some like that myself."

Eric frowned, looking down at the wet towel in his hands. Then he narrowed his eyes at me and leaped forward, and I squealed with delight as he jumped on the bed, and nibbled and tickled me. When I begged for mercy, he stopped and pulled the covers up over us both. He lay down beside me, propped up on his elbow. I ran a finger down his chest, down to his belly button, and sighed.

"What is it?"

"You haven't told me yet, is she... is Freyda..."

"She died in the air, before the plane hit the ground."

"Oh." I felt a strange mix of emotions at hearing that news. "I'm not gonna pretend like I'm real sad about that, Eric," I said, feeling very un-Christian about admitting it. "I mean, I don't know whether she deserved to die or not, but I don't think I'll be mourning her."

"I wouldn't expect you to," he said, his hand stroking my waist and hip under the covers. "Neither will I. It means of course that I am no longer bound into marrying her. I am in control of my own destiny once again."

He smiled at me, and while I did share in the happiness of this news, I was still too concerned about other matters to really allow myself to fully enjoy it.

"Well, I guess that's one problem down, but now we have a whole other huge Felipe-shaped problem to deal with, right?"

"Yes," he said. "But not tonight."

He leaned in closer and kissed me.

"Shouldn't we talk about all this?" I said, knowing what the answer should be, but hoping for something else entirely.

"Probably."

"Oh, Pam!" I suddenly felt alert again. "We gotta call Pam."

"Shh. Don't worry, I left instructions for her. She will know everything soon enough."

His lips were on mine again, and then he was rolling me onto my back.

"Wait, I still haven't called you a jerk for sneaking up on me. I might've staked you."

"Go on then," he said, his lips on my throat now.

"What?"

"Call me a jerk."

"Jerk."

"Do you feel better?"

I felt the brush of his fangs as he smiled against my neck.

"No. How'd you get in, anyway?"

"Key."

"What?"

"Key," he repeated, his lips trailing lower. "Glamored the human at the front desk."

"Did you follow me and Pam here? Will anyone else know where we are? Why didn't you call?"

Eric sighed and looked up at me, his chin resting on the spot below my breasts, his big bare feet waggling in the air, down at the end of the bed.

"So many questions. Yes. No. My phone was conveniently confiscated at the airport and no, I don't have your number memorized, and I did not want to risk calling anyone else. I didn't knock because I thought you were asleep and I didn't want to scare you, I wanted to surprise you in a good way. In a sexy way. And yes, I know it backfired."

"Big time. I came this close." I held up my thumb and forefinger to illustrate how close he'd come to meeting his final death at the end of my stake.

"You tried," he said, smirking at me. "You know, you should try immobilizing a vampire before attempting to stake them. Shoot them in the head or throw something silver over them. Then go in for the kill."

"Hmm. Next time."

He smiled, before lowering his head again to kiss my body. As his hand slid between my thighs, I decided that for the time being, I had a few answers, and that would have to do. The others could wait a little longer. At least another half hour or so.

* * *

**_A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long! I hope you'll find it in your hearts to forgive my tardiness. I re-wrote it a couple of times, and then also I got pushed down a well by this goat who said I looked at him funny but I didn't I was just standing there admiring the well and although I wasn't harmed during the fall down the well and I had my laptop on me which also made it unscathed there were no plug points and my battery died and it was a well in a really remote area and I was down there for days and I had to write the chapter on the wall of the well using a blunt pencil and then after I was rescued from the well I had to remember what I'd written on the wall and it took me ages and I had to go back down the well and I got stuck again foolishly for another couple of days and that's what happened I'm sorry I have learned my lesson ok thanks I love you bye._**


End file.
